from The Splendid Table, by Lynne Rosetto Kasper

4 medium sized bulbs fennel, quartered and trimmed
4 TB. extra virgin olive oil
3 large cloves garlic, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1/2 cup water
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cut the fennel bulb in half lengthwise, and then cut into julienne strips between 1/4 and 1/2 inch wide. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, turn the heat to low and cook 8 minutes, or until the pieces are pale blond. Do not cook beyond a golden color, or the garlic will turn bitter. Immediately scoop out the garlic with a slotted spoon and reserve. Add fennel to the pan and sauté about 10 minutes, until they are golden brown on all sides. Once the fennel is browned, add the water to the pan and sprinkle the fennel with salt and pepper. Cover the pan tightly and cook over medium-low heat 5 to 8 minutes, or until the fennel is tender. Uncover the pan and boil away any liquid left in it. Sprinkle fennel with reserved garlic. Serve immediately.



from The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen with Nigel Slater, by Nigel Slater

2 medium sized heads of fennel
5 TB. olive oil
24 black olives
small bunch flat leaf parsley
2 balls buffalo mozzarella

Heat the grill. Slice the stalks and fronds from the fennel bulbs. Cut the bulbs into thin slices, no thicker than 1/8 inch. Lay the fennel on the grill, letting it color first on one side, then the other. Depending on the heat of your grill, this could take anything up to ten minutes.

Pour olive oil into a bowl and add the olives. Chop the parsley roughly and add it to the olive oil with a seasoning of salt and black pepper. Life the fennel off the grill and drop it into the dressing. Toss gently. Divide the salad between four plates. Slice the mozzarella thickly, or split it by hand, then lay the pieces on top of the salad. Drizzle over any remaining dressing or add a little more olive oil.



1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 lb. haricot verts, blanched
1/2 lb. carrots, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly julienned
3-4 heirloom tomatoes, chunked
1 bulb fennel, thinly sliced

Dressing:
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 cup white vinegar
zest of 1 lemon
2-3 TB. fresh dill, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix and serve.



1-2 lbs. green beans
6 shallots, peeled
1 pint grape tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blanch green beans in salted, boiling water for approximately 5 minutes. Roast shallots and tomatoes in olive oil for 35-40 minutes. Toss with beans. Add salt and pepper to taste.



1 lb. pasta

1/2 lb. bacon, cut into bite sized bits
2 pints grape or cherry tomatoes
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, stems removed
1 cup walnuts, lightly toasted
Any combination of the following:
spinach
chard, cut into strips
onions, in chunks
leeks, sliced
asparagus, in bite sized pieces
squash, large dice
zucchini, large dice
bell pepper, large dice
green beans, cut into 2 inch pieces
mushrooms, sliced
cabbage, large shred
fennel, sliced into thin matchsticks

Cook pasta until al denta, set aside. Over medium low heat, cook the bacon pieces until crisp. Carefully remove bacon bits from pan, add to the pasta. In the same pan, over medium high heat, add vegetables that need to cook the longest, such as onions, leeks, asparagus, green beans, peppers, mushrooms and fennel. Cook 4-6 minutes, tossing for even cooking. Add tomatoes and cook covered another 8-10 minutes, or until tomatoes are soft. Add vegetables such as chard, spinach, squash, and zucchini. Cook until greens are just wilted. Add bacon and pasta to the pan, cook 2 additional minutes until pasta is warm. Season as needed with salt and pepper. Toss with parsley and walnuts and serve.



adapted from veganyumyum.com

1 liter vegetable oil, for frying
1 stalk broccoli, florets only
2 carrots, sliced on the bias, 1/4 inch thick
1 cup mushrooms, your favorite
1 cup green beans
(Feel free to use any vegetables you like!)

Tempura Batter:
1 cup cold water (very cold!)
1 cup flour
2 pinches salt
1/4 teas. baking powder
1 TB. Egg Replacer Powder mixed with 3 TB. Water
1/4 cup extra water, if needed, for thinning

Tentsuyu Dipping Sauce:
1/4 cup vegetable stock
1 TB. sugar
1/4 cup low sodium Tamari
1 TB. rice vinegar
1/4 cup water

Heat all the sauce ingredients in a small pan until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Chop your vegetables, making sure harder vegetables like carrots are no more than 1/4  thick if frying raw. Blanch vegetables like squash or sweet potatoes, if using.

Heat your oil to 350º F. A little bit of batter dropped into the oil should float to the surface immediately, and little bits of batter should explode off the veggies when frying.

Dip your vegetables in the batter. Drop an assortment of battered vegetables into the oil, being careful not to overcrowd. You may need to turn up the temperature of the oil, because the vegetables will cool it.

Fry for 40 seconds to 1 minute until very crispy and light. Drain on a paper towel for a few seconds. Serve immediately with dipping sauce and/or salt and pepper.



1 lb. box penne
6 whole shallots, peeled and quartered
10 garlic cloves, peeled
3/4 cup olive oil
2 ears sweet corn
5 tomatoes, chunked
1 pint cherry tomatoes
salted water for pasta
salt & pepper, to taste
1 cup Italian cheese blend
basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 370 degrees. Toss garlic and shallots in 1/2 cup olive oil and roast for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the penne in salted water per instructions on the box.

Remove kernels from cob and saute in remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, about 3 minutes, until light brown. Throw in all the tomatoes and cook for another 3 minutes.

Toss together all the ingredients and top with cheese and basil.